HOUSTON (AP) Matt Schaub has managed to keep his starting job, and the beleaguered Houston quarterback vowed to turn things around this week.
"I need to be better," he said, "and I'll be the first to admit that."
Houston coach Gary Kubiak said Wednesday that Schaub would start on Sunday against St. Louis, but added that staying with him wasn't an easy choice.
"It was a tough decision - real tough," Kubiak said. "But I feel like it's the best thing for our football team this weekend."
Schaub has had a terrible three weeks. He has thrown six interceptions - three of them returned for touchdowns - and the Texans have dropped three straight.
Kubiak said Monday that Schaub remained the starter, but added that he would evaluate the quarterback situation this week. After two days of deliberating, he decided to stick with the 10-year veteran.
"A lot of thought went into it, a lot of evaluations and things going on, but I thought it was the best decision going into this game," Kubiak said.
Schaub will have to direct the offense this week without tight end Owen Daniels, who was placed on the injured reserve/designated for return list with a broken fibula in his right leg and will be out eight weeks.
Schaub's recent poor play has prompted vitriol and a call to bench him in favor of backup T.J. Yates from a segment of Texans fans.
Some people have recently began driving by his home and taking photos, causing Schaub to call NFL security.
He admitted to contacting security about the drive-by photos, but denied a report of a fan going to his door and shouting obscenities Tuesday night.
Schaub said despite the incidents, he's happy at his home and has no plans to move to a gated community.
He was troubled by the situation and acknowledged being worried about the safety of his wife and three young daughters. But said there's a simple solution to ending the harassment.
"It's the world we live in," he said. "There's passionate fans out there for better or worse and I understand that ... you hate for it to come to that because we're better than that as a society and a community. But it's the nature of what we do. The only thing that can correct that is going out and beating the St. Louis Rams this week."
Kubiak has expressed concern that such a brutal stretch may have shaken his quarterback's confidence. When asked about that, the 32-year-old Schaub denied any struggles in that area.
"Not one bit," he said as he stood perfectly straight looking even taller than his already imposing 6-foot-5.
"I'm supremely confident in my abilities and what I can do on the football field. I just need to get back to being conscious of the details and being technically sound."
Kubiak, a former quarterback, has talked often with Schaub this week, but knows that talking doesn't change anything. He has to see results on the field.
"You're OK when you start playing better and your team starts winning games," he said. "That's when you get OK. I understand that. I'm just trying to help him work through it. I'm trying to do ... everything I can, from my perspective as a coach, to help a player work through something."
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AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org
